CARLTON FLETCHER: Region experiencing a mini musical renaissance

“The boys in the band all live in harmony.”

— The Hollies

Everyone who has even an inkling of an interest in music and/or in southwest Georgia knows about the region’s musical tradition, what with the community ties of artists like Ray Charles, Luke Brian, Phillip Phillips, Ray Stevens, Field Mob, The Lost Trailers, Dallas Davidson, the Kinchafoonee Cowboys, Russell Malone and others.

Even before Brian, Phillips and Bronwood’s Cole Swindell made the region something of a pop/country mecca, Albany and southwest Georgia had developed a reputation for its music scene, with artists like Monroe Brown, Holley Drive, the Bo Henry Band, Evan Barber and the Dead Gamblers, Ole E, Dark Brown and Dru, The Stiffs, Discount Superstar and several other artists performing in these parts on a regular basis. Of course, there were any number of venues that regularly booked bands for live performances, giving local musicians places to show their chops.

That scene, though, all but died out, and for a period there was something of a local musical lull. Sure, Bo Henry’s and Evan Barber’s bands kept plugging along, as did longtime groups like the Cowboys and party band Relapse. But with several venues closing or curtailing live musical performances, the scene here was on life support at best.

But there’s been something of a musical rebirth in the region in recent years, a number of talented artists taking up arms … well, guitars, drums and such … to fill the void.

The Cowboys, BHB and Barber’s Gamblers are still making viable music — their own and covering others’ — and they’re part of a dozen or so groups that have put their stamp on the local scene, performing frequently and recording original music.

BoDean & the Poachers, led by Henry Band guitarist Brandon Fox, recently released their first original single, the exceptionally catchy “I Ain’t a Saint,” and GrandVille — formed by Kinchafoonee Cowboys lead singer Glenn Tennyson’s twin sons, Jackson and James — dropped their rocking first single, “Terrible Things,” on YouTube and Spotify.

These releases come on the heels of modern rockers This Solid Ground’s dynamic EP “Modern Alchemy.” TSG, which includes former Monroe Brown drummer Jeremy Dollar and studio wizard Daniel Watson, like GrandVille and BoDean & the Poachers, are working on a proper album, and all three are expected to release those LPs in the short-term.

Throw in artists like Days to Come, who recently released a pair of singles and opened for rockers Skillet; Unbreakable Bloodline, who have released a pair of albums and played at the prestigious South x Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas; LaBette, Anne Cline, The Giving End and the Evergreen Family Band, three of whose members play with the Poachers, and you see the makings of another growing music scene in the region.

That some of these bands amicably share artists adds to the spirit of camaraderie among the local musical acts, but the tight-knit musical community extends beyond that. This Solid Ground’s Alchemy Creative Group headquarters on Slappey Drive in Albany has become something of a ground zero for local artists. Watson is producing BoDean & the Poachers’ album, as well as working on TSG’s LP.

Henry’s band, which is celebrating its 25th year, and the Kinchafoonee Cowboys, who are now 30 years into their career and counting, are gearing up for the fall season, and long-time fans should expect some special projects/shows with both of those bands. Barber is working on new music and planning a tour, and Days to Come’s Justin Goodson recently said that group of rockers will continue to produce singles until they’re set to release a full-on LP.

There are other artists in the region at various stages of their careers — whether they’ll forever be garage bands or they’ll bring their music to the venues that offer live music is not clear at this time — and there are other prodigies who have picked up instruments and started teaching themselves to play. Perhaps those music lovers will join the musical mini-renaissance that’s taking place in the region or even join the superstars who’ve helped keep Albany on the musical map.

It’s the getting there that’s part of the fun … for the musicians and the people who come out to see them play.